President Muhammadu Buhari has stated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is ready to conduct the 2023 general elections as the electoral umpire has been provided with all the resources it needs to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
President Buhari made the assertion during an interactive session themed “A conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria’’, organised by the United State Institute of Peace (USIP), the International Republican Institute, the National Endowment for Democracy, and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, where he was questioned on INEC’s readiness to conduct the 2023 elections.
”INEC is ready because I made sure they were given all the resources they asked because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government,” Buhari stated.
On the 2023 elections, Buhari reiterated his avowed determination to ensure the conduct of free, fair and transparent national elections, whose outcome would be largely accepted to the contestants.
‘‘Since 2015, the conduct of our elections continues to steadily improve. From the 2019 general elections, the by-elections and the off-season elections in Edo, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun States were conducted in largely improved contexts to the satisfaction of contestants and voters.
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‘‘That is what we hope for in 2023. Through the observatory roles of the International Community, the credibility of the elections can be further enhanced to make the acceptability of the outcome to the contestants and political parties a non-issue,” Buhari added.